To investigate whether long-term ingestion of guava juice has anti-diabetes and/or anti-obese actions, we employed spontaneous non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats and its control strain Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats. Thirty rats of each strain were divided into three groups consisting of glucose, vitamin E, and guava juice ingestion groups. Ingestion of these test solutions was continued from 9 to 32 weeks old. Serum lipid parameters including total cholesterol, triglyceride, free fatty acid, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol were measured. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed at 32 weeks old rats and at 42 weeks old rats (10 weeks after discontinue of ingestion of guava juice), and then blood glucose levels and plasma insulin concentrations were measured. There were no significant differences in body weight, the amount of food intake and the volume of drink among the groups in OLETF rats. Although the blood glucose level in the guava juice group was not changed as compared with the glucose group, the amount of initial insulin secretion was significantly increased in OLETF rats and was restored by discontinue of ingestion of guava juice. Therefore, the longterm ingestion of guava juice may increase plasma insulin concentration in OLETF rats.
To determine the effect of concomitant oral ingestion of germanium-132 (Ge-132) and curcumin on the onsets of hepatitis and hepatic cancer in Long-Evans Cinnamon (LEC) rats, 40 rats were administered sterile water (NT), corn oil (Vehicle), Ge-132 (Ge), curcumin (Cur), or Ge-132 plus curcumin (GeCur) for 50 weeks. Plasma enzyme levels of asparate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), γ-glutamyltrasferase (γGTP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured at Pre (6 weeks), Early (18-26 weeks), Late (30-38 weeks) and End (42-50 weeks) stages. Liver damage was assessed by the Histology Activity Index (HAI). In the group of Ge, LDH was significantly decreased at the End stage. In the group of Cur, LDH was remarkably decreased in the Early stage, whereas AST and LDH were significantly decreased in the End stage. In the GeCur group, AST, ALT, and γGTP were significantly increased in the Early stage, whereas LDH was significantly decreased in the End stage. The onset rate of icterus and the mortality rate were significantly increased in the GeCur groups (vs. Vehicle group, p < 0.01). There was no statistically significant difference in HAI among the groups. Thus, concomitant oral ingestion of Ge-132 and curcumin may aggravate hepatic dysfunction, thereby increasing the mortality rate in LEC rats.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.